Golf club head with heel and toe stiffeners

Abstract

A golf club head with plate-like, heel and toe side internal stiffeners is disclosed herein. Each stiffener has a planar portion extending approximately parallel with a portion of the striking face, and is entirely disposed within an interior cavity of the golf club head. The heel side stiffener is connected to top, sole, and heel walls of the club head, with a toe-side edge unconnected to any other portion of the head, and the toe side stiffener is connected to the top, sole, and toe walls of the club head, with a heel-side edge unconnected to any other portion of the head. The toe and heel side edges may have large concavities that distribute mass away from the geometric face center and toward the heel and toe sides of the golf club head.

We claim: 
     
       1. A golf club head comprising:
 a body comprising a sole portion, a front wall comprising a striking face surface and a geometric face center, a return portion, a hosel, a heel side with a heel side wall, a toe side with a toe side wall, and an interior cavity; 
 a heel side stiffener comprising a first planar front surface, a first planar rear surface, a first upper edge connected to the return portion, a first lower edge connected to the sole portion, a first heel edge connected to the heel side wall, a first toe edge, and a first interior edge defining a first through-hole in the heel side stiffener; and 
 a toe side stiffener comprising a second planar front surface, a second planar rear surface, a second upper edge connected to the return portion, a second lower edge connected to the sole portion, a second toe edge connected to the toe side wall, a second heel edge, and a second interior edge defining a second through-hole in the toe side stiffener, 
 wherein each of the heel side stiffener and the toe side stiffener is disposed entirely within the interior cavity, 
 wherein each of the first and second planar front surfaces extends approximately parallel with the striking face surface, 
 wherein the first toe edge is spaced a distance of at least 1 inch measured along a horizontal y-axis from the second heel edge, 
 wherein the first toe edge is spaced a first distance of at least 0.25 inch measured along a horizontal y-axis from the geometric face center, and 
 wherein the second heel edge is spaced a second distance of at least 0.65 inch measured along the horizontal y-axis from the geometric face center. 
 
     
     
       2. The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the second distance is greater than the first distance. 
     
     
       3. The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the second planar front surface comprises a second planar front surface area not including the second through-hole, wherein the second through-hole comprises a second through-hole area measured in a same plane as the second planar front surface. 
     
     
       4. The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the first planar front surface comprises a first planar front surface area not including the first through-hole, wherein the first through-hole comprises a first through-hole area measured in a same plane as the first planar front surface. 
     
     
       5. The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the first toe edge is spaced a distance of approximately 1.2 inch from the geometric face center, and wherein the second heel edge is spaced a distance of approximately 1.4 inch from the geometric face center. 
     
     
       6. The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein each of the heel side stiffener and the toe side stiffener has a maximum thickness of 0.2 inch. 
     
     
       7. A golf club head comprising:
 a body comprising a sole portion, a front wall comprising a striking face surface and a geometric face center, a return portion, a hosel, a heel side with a heel side wall, a toe side with a toe side wall, and an interior cavity; 
 a heel side stiffener comprising a first planar front surface, a first planar rear surface, a first upper edge connected to the return portion, a first lower edge connected to the sole portion, a first heel edge connected to the heel side wall, a first toe edge, and a first interior edge defining a first through-hole in the heel side stiffener; and 
 a toe side stiffener comprising a second planar front surface, a second planar rear surface, a second upper edge connected to the return portion, a second lower edge connected to the sole portion, a second toe edge connected to the toe side wall, a second heel edge, and a second interior edge defining a second through-hole in the toe side stiffener; 
 wherein each of the heel side stiffener and the toe side stiffener is disposed entirely within the interior cavity, 
 wherein each of the first and second front surfaces extends approximately parallel with the striking face surface, 
 wherein the first toe edge is spaced a distance of at least 0.90 inch measured along a horizontal y-axis from the second heel edge, 
 wherein each of the planar heel side stiffener and the planar toe side stiffener has a thickness that is no greater than 0.20 inch, 
 wherein the first toe edge is spaced a first distance measured along a horizontal y-axis from the geometric face center, 
 wherein the second heel edge is spaced a second distance measured along the horizontal y-axis from the geometric face center, 
 wherein the second heel edge is spaced a second distance measured along the horizontal y-axis from the geometric face center, 
 wherein the second distance is greater than the first distance, and 
 wherein spacing between the first toe edge and the second heel edge is variable. 
 
     
     
       8. The golf club head of  claim 7 , wherein the first toe edge is spaced a minimum distance of approximately 1.2 inch from the geometric face center, and wherein the second heel edge is spaced a minimum distance of approximately 1.4 inch from the geometric face center. 
     
     
       9. The golf club head of  claim 7 , wherein the second distance is at least 0.40 inch greater than the first distance. 
     
     
       10. The golf club head of  claim 7 , wherein the second distance is at least 0.65 inch, and wherein the first distance is at least 0.25 inch. 
     
     
       11. The golf club head of  claim 7 , wherein the return portion comprises at least one upper rib, and wherein at least one of the first upper edge and the second upper edge is connected to the at least one upper rib. 
     
     
       12. The golf club head of  claim 11 , wherein the sole portion comprises at least one lower rib, and wherein at least one of the first lower edge and the second lower edge is connected to the at least one lower rib. 
     
     
       13. The golf club head of  claim 7 , wherein the sole portion comprises at least one lower rib, and wherein at least one of the first lower edge and the second lower edge is connected to the at least one lower rib. 
     
     
       14. The golf club head of  claim 13 , wherein the return portion comprises at least one upper rib, and wherein at least one of the first upper edge and the second upper edge is connected to the at least one upper rib. 
     
     
       15. The golf club head of  claim 7 , wherein the second planar front surface comprises a second planar front surface area not including the second through-hole, wherein the second through-hole comprises a second through-hole area measured in a same plane as the second planar front surface, and wherein the second through-hole area is greater than the second planar front surface area. 
     
     
       16. The golf club head of  claim 7 , wherein the first planar front surface comprises a first planar front surface area not including the first through-hole, wherein the first through-hole comprises a first through-hole area measured in a same plane as the first planar front surface. 
     
     
       17. A golf club head comprising:
 a hybrid-type body comprising a sole portion, a front wall comprising a striking face surface and a geometric face center, a return portion, a hosel, a heel side with a heel side wall, a toe side with a toe side wall, and an interior cavity; 
 a heel side stiffener comprising a first planar front surface having a first planar front surface area, a first planar rear surface, a first upper edge connected to the return portion, a first lower edge connected to the sole portion, a first heel edge connected to the heel side wall, a first toe edge, and a first interior edge defining a first through-hole in the heel side stiffener having a first through-hole area; and 
 a toe side stiffener comprising a second planar front surface having a second planar front surface area, a second planar rear surface, a second upper edge connected to the return portion, a second lower edge connected to the sole portion, a second toe edge connected to the toe side wall, a second heel edge, and a second interior edge defining a second through-hole in the toe side stiffener having a second through-hole area, 
 wherein each of the heel side stiffener and the toe side stiffener is disposed entirely within the interior cavity, and 
 wherein each of the first and second planar front surfaces extends approximately parallel with the striking face surface; 
 wherein the first toe edge is spaced a first distance of at least 0.25 inch measured along a horizontal y-axis from the geometric face center, and wherein the second heel edge is spaced a second distance of at least 0.65 inch measured along the horizontal y-axis from the geometric face center.